


Dark Paradise

by Ace Of Hearts (huntingmyths)



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Rebirth, Shameless Smut, Slash, Smut, So much angst, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2018-12-09 04:05:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11661264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntingmyths/pseuds/Ace%20Of%20Hearts
Summary: He closed the newspaper to find the date before his heart sunk. It wasn't possible. This had to be some kind of a bad joke or some kind of simulation Hojo had created to see how he would react. But, no. Hojo wouldn't know about Cloud’s bike or the initials the two boys had carved into the cave next to it.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't leave me alone and I had to start writing it. Let's see how this goes.

The first thing he noticed was a cold metal against his skin.

It felt as though a bahamut had slammed into his head or one of Hojo’s experiments. Had Hojo done something to him before they had come on this mission? His mind was foggy, he couldn’t remember specifics, but he was almost certain that he hadn’t gone to see Hojo before going on this mission.

Opening his eyes, he found himself laying on what he could almost call the floor of the science department -- it wouldn’t be the first time. But there was also the distinct smell of mako that tended to come from a reactor even though it was fainter. A mako reactor that was no longer functioning then.

He pushed himself up and surveyed the area to see that he was, indeed, in a reactor. Though it did seem to be out of commission. Had something happened with the mission to knock him out? What about Zack and Cloud? Were they both alright? Had Genesis kidnapped them? Killed them?

No, Zack wouldn’t allow that to happen and Genesis wasn’t at the same strength as the last time they sparred with his degradation destroying him from the inside out now. But what could have happened? He knew that Zack and Cloud wouldn’t leave him if they thought he was still alive and Zack could hear his pulse no matter what. Something had to have lured or taken them away.

Looking around, his frown deepened as he realized that he didn’t have Masamune. It would hinder him, but he was also skilled in hand to hand combat so that wouldn’t be a problem. He just wondered who could have taken it. The same people who had gotten to Zack and Cloud?

He shook his head, not even remembering how he had even gotten to the reactor. The last thing he remembered was arriving at Nibelhiem and discussing going to see Cloud’s mother. He may have come up here on his own, leaving the other two in town, but he knew them too well to think that they wouldn’t come looking for him if he didn’t send word.

He pulled out his PHS, a frown on his face as he found there was no service. None of this was sitting well on him and just seemed to put him more and more on edge.

Perhaps Mrs. Strife or even the Mayor would have answers if he could find one of them. Mrs. Strife was probably the best bet.

With a soft sigh, he left the reactor and headed down the mountain towards where he could see the smoke from fires. It was slightly chilly, a difference from when he had arrived. Had the weather truly changed that rapidly? Despite what Cloud had said, it seemed almost an imporbability.

As he got closer and could hear voices, his frown deepened even further. These weren’t right, the words were correct in rough Nibel, but the accent was all wrong. It wasn’t the thick, throaty and almost angry accent that Cloud would let slip some times. It wasn’t the same as when Cloud would rant in after a hard day or when he was motion sick, or even messing around with Zack.

Was he in the wrong town? Had he come across a different town that had the same dialect, but different accent?

He came to the edge of town to see that they looked different too, though they seemed used to this kind of weather.

He was about to approach them and see how to get to the correct town, though he paused when he heard someone call a “Mayor Lockhart” who was not the same man that had met them just outside the entrance to the town. Not to mention the town was set up the exact same.

Who were these people? What had happened? Did Shinra do something to the town?

He had seen them raze and rebuild a small town only once before, but it was enough for him to realize that they could do it again.

He stayed in the shadows until it was dark and everyone was inside for the night before he wandered the town. He found a garbage bin with a newspaper, which got his attention. He took it with him before retreating out of the entrance of the town. He walked a few minutes before turning off the path and going to a small cave that Cloud had shown them on the way up.

No one else knew of this place and it seemed that it Cloud was telling the truth about that fact. All that was there was an old motorcycle that was still in there. The first one Cloud had gotten his hands on to take apart and put back together.

Going right back outside to where the moon was shining down to provide enough light for someone like him to see perfectly, he looked at the newspaper and scanned it for any news on what had happened.

There were some goings on in the town that were in the newspaper, but nothing about Shinra or anything else that would tell him about what was going on outside the town. An ad suddenly caught his attention, though. It was a small ad in the back of the paper with the rest of the classifieds, but it jumped out at him immediately.

STRIFE DELIVERY  
You name it, we ship it.

That just had to be a coincidence, didn’t it? Cloud was a Trooper, was going to take the SOLDIER exam as soon as they got back from the mission. He wouldn’t have left Shinra without a good reason.

He closed the newspaper to find the date before his heart sunk. It wasn't possible. This had to be some kind of a bad joke or some kind of simulation Hojo had created to see how he would react. But, no. Hojo wouldn't know about Cloud’s bike or the initials the two boys had carved into the cave next to it.

With a deep breath, he decided that he would head back to Midgar. There had to be some answers there and there was no point staying here when Zack and Cloud weren’t around. Perhaps Shinra had recalled them to Midgar because of Genesis -- that would make sense -- and he could get the answers he was looking for back home.

Home… a concept he had only known twice.

The first with Angeal and Genesis, having fought in Wutai and gone through training for SOLDIER together from the time they were Cadets. They had been the first ones to break through his shell and not treat him differently for who he was. They had also engrained social cues into him for which he would always be grateful.

After their betrayals, he had thought he would close up again until Zack Strife, a SOLDIER he never would have even considered spending time with before had stuck like a thorn in his side. He had started to fill in a hole in the General’s heart before a blond cadet had stumbled in as well after a mission with Zack, filling it even more. They were Sephiroth’s life and he had kept their relationship a secret with the hopes of Hojo never finding out -- at least not until Cloud was in SOLDIER and able to defend himself better.

Home wasn’t a particular place. It wasn’t in Midgar or his apartment. It was with Cloud and Zack, wherever they happened to be.

Going to the motorcycle, he found the key right where Cloud had left it in the ignition and turned it on. He heard it come to life, a small smile on his lips as he remembered them spending a few hours in that cave as he and Cloud put in a mako engine they had brought from Midgar instead of the oil one that had been in it originally.

That was the point of coming to Nibelhiem ahead of schedule and he was extremely glad they had.

He pulled a hair tie from his pocket and pulled his hair up in a messy bun before putting on the helmet and taking off down the mountain, towards Midgar and (hopefully) his answers.


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got talked into posting Chapter 1 early. Enjoy!

Cloud sped through the empty wastelands towards Edge, ignoring the screaming in his head that was telling him to go hide instead. Just go somewhere and ignore the whispers he had heard in three completely different towns. It could just be a rumor that would lead to nothing, but it had only been a few months since the last time.

He didn’t think that he could handle doing that again after everything.

As he arrived in Edge and climbed off Fenrir, he could feel eyes on him and whispers behind his back. It had been like this for months as they rebuilt Edge and again for a few weeks after the fight with Kadaj and his gang, but he thought that they had gotten over their shock and awe at being reminded just what he was.

He refused to believe that it was because those rumors had made their way here. There was no way it could have, though he knew better than that. Rumors spread no matter where he went, even from one end of the world to another where they wouldn’t normally get to. When it came to himself and Sephiroth, there was no place that rumors were off limits.

“Cloud!”

He watched as Marlene and Denzel ran out to greet him, though he just watched with a blank expression. His mind was elsewhere, to another time and another place. He walked into the bar without a word, hoping that the whispers hadn’t reached Tifa and the others yet. Though he knew that was almost impossible with how widespread they were. And there was no way Vincent didn’t know, though he wouldn’t tell anyone.

“Cloud?” Tifa asked. “How were your runs?”

“Fine,” he answered as he walked behind the bar and poured himself a drink.

“Reeve is stopping by tonight. He said that he wanted to talk to you about something.”

Cloud just grunted as he went into his office and locked the door. He moved over to his desk and opened one of the drawers only to remove a hidden compartment in the back. Inside were pictures that he had scavenged and had, surprisingly, not been completely destroyed when the plate fell or during the five years prior to that.

There were pictures that absolutely no one knew existed. Well, perhaps one SOLDIER still knew, if he made it out of there alive. And Tseng definitely knew, but they were the only ones who had an idea of what they contained. Not even Tifa or the kids knew about these pictures. They would probably hate him if they knew what was contained in the small slips of paper.

“Cloud?” came Tifa’s voice a few hours later as she knocked on the door. “Reeve’s here to talk to you.”

With a soft sigh, he put the pictures back into the compartment. He walked out to the bar to find that he had missed dinner and they were already open with the kids upstairs and out of the way. He spotted Reeve in the back with another man who had short brown hair.

“Cloud,” Reeve said with a nod as the mechanical cat of his jumped onto the table. “It’s good to see you.”

“What do you need?”

Any other day, he might have made small talk, but right now he wanted to just hide away. He wanted to forget about everything and pretend like nothing had ever happened. He hadn’t gone to Midgar, hadn’t gone through everything that had destroyed his life.

“I assume you’ve heard the rumors, whispers about _his_ return."

“They’re just whispers. I haven’t been able to feel him or Jenova.”

The man sitting at the table said, “The past couple of days, the WRO members patrolling the ruins of Midgar have heard cries of anguish near the ruins of Midgar.”

He put a folder on the table and pushed it to Cloud. The blond opened the folder to reveal images of creatures in Midgar sliced straight through. It wasn’t with the precision of Sephiroth’s Masamune, but rather looked like it had been done with a sword he had been taught with. A sword that he would know well.

“So it was done by one of Shinra’s swords that Third Classes use,” Cloud stated. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“It matters if you remember being trained in swordfighting,” the stranger stated.

Cloud glared at the smirk on the man’s face before a memory pulled up as a smirking SOLDIER with a helmet on his head went along with himself, Sephiroth, and Zack out training in the Wastelands one day.

“Kunsel,” Cloud said with a nod of acknowledgement.

“There’s only one person we both know who can make a kill this clean regardless of the sword."

Cloud’s frown deepened. “That’s not possible. I would feel him if he came back.”

Kunsel opened his mouth to reply before a man started shouting, “He’s returned! The Demon of Wutai! The One Winged Angel! The Calamity!”

Cloud could hear Tifa sigh in exasperation as she walked over and said, “Alright, Mr. Carmichael, you’ve had enough tonight. Let’s get you home.”

“The Demon of Wutai will destroy us all! We’re all doomed!”

Cloud stood up, taking the folder as he stated, “I’ll look into it.”

He walked into his office, putting the folder in the hidden compartment before turning around in anger and grabbing his chair. He threw it into the wall, though it wasn’t with all his strength. He destroyed almost everything in the office.

Why did it always have to fall on him to destroy Sephiroth? Why did he have to be the one to save the planet? To become the planet’s Golden WEAPON?

“Cloud?” Tifa asked, knocking on the door. “Are you okay?”

He ignored her as he grabbed his sword that was leaning against the wall. He put it in his harness and walked out, ignoring her calling after him. Her words just washed off of him, trying to tell him that he should just ignore the town drunk. It wasn’t just the drunk, though that was the final straw. There were whispers of sightings of Sephiroth everywhere he went and the conversation with Reeve and Kunsel.

He got on Fenrir and took off towards ruins of Midgar. He kept telling himself that it was another Sephiroth clone. It had to be, the only way to explain why Cloud hadn’t sensed Sephiroth’s return.

He stopped at the church, staring at it with a frown on his face. Getting off his motorcycle, he walked inside to find the place as it always was. Flowers everywhere with a small pool of water and, at the very back of the church, a monument with Zack’s Buster Sword standing proudly. He had come here not long after the incident with the Geostigma and spent hours cleaning off the rust and sharpening the edge of the blade for it to be in its new home where Aerith and Zack would both want it to be.

_“Who is this flower girl anyway?”_

_“What’s wrong, Spike? You’re not jealous are you?”_

_“No.”_

_“You totally are! But you don’t have to worry. I accidentally fell through the roof of the church in that first fight with Angeal. She’s a really sweet girl and a good friend. You’d get along well with her.”_

“What do I do, Zack?” Cloud quietly asked as he walked over and grabbed the sword, holding it up. “Honor… Dreams… what happens when none of that remains?”

Taking a deep breath, he switched out the sword on his back for the Buster Sword. If it really was Sephiroth who was back, he wasn’t planning on surviving this fight. He was tired and he just wanted everything to be over.

He left Fenrir there as well, though he moved her to behind the church. There was a letter in one of the compartments for Tifa and one for Denzel, both of them apologizing and gifting the bike and his sword to Denzel. They would find it when they eventually came here like they did every so often.

As he walked, he heard the growls of some of the beasts. As they repopulated the ruins, he recognized some of them from Hojo’s experiments, which had caused the WRO to place the entire area off limits. The only ones who went anywhere near there were former SOLDIERs who now worked for the WRO and Cloud himself. It also gave him the ability to go sifting through everything and try to find anything that had survived like the pictures.

He moved forward as he heard the singing of a sword, though like Kunsel had said, it wasn’t the song of Masamune. He pulled his sword off of his back, holding it up and pressing his forehead against it as he had seen Zack to many times. He never understood why, but this gave him a boost of confidence.

As he moved to the fight, a flash of silver caught his eye. He watched the familiar movement that seemed to be a dance with the beasts, slashing through the beasts as if they butter.

Cloud’s fingers gripped the hilt of the Buster Sword, his knuckles hurting at how tight he was gripping it. He stared at the man as he sliced through the final monster, running his fingers through his hair and, for a moment, Cloud thought he was seeing the Sephiroth he had known before going to Nibelhiem.

He shook his head. No, this was the man who had burned down his home, killed his mother, almost killed himself, Zack, and Tifa. This was the man he had been forced to kill to save everyone even if it hurt him to do so. This was the man who had caused him and Zack to be taken by Hojo and put through hell for four years -- five for him with his Mako poisoning.

He took a hesitant step towards the man, when he stepped on a piece of glass that cracked under his weight. The man froze at the sound of the glass before turning around, a relieved smile on his face. It wasn’t the insane smile that had turned his dreams into nightmares, but the smile that was from those pictures hidden in his desk drawer. The eyes weren’t insane either, but instead looked exhausted and were bright with happiness that Cloud could never picture him with anymore.

“Storm Cloud,” Sephiroth said with that small, dorky smile that always made him melt. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

***

The trip to Midgar had taken three days by traveling only at night. It was easier to stay to the shadows with how many people knew who he was. This way, his enemies would be hard pressed to find his location and his… “devoted” fans were less likely to stumble onto him and try to doz something. It also kept majority of the beasts out of the way. At least the ones that roamed in the day time.

He felt naked without any type of weapon, though his training from childhood had taught him how to survive the wilderness. How to forage and which berries were poisonous for human consumption.

Once he reached Midgar, he had stared at the ruins in silence. Surely this was a nightmare he was having. How could something like this happen? Had it been Elfé and AVALANCHE or was it one of Hojo’s experiments that had finally destroyed it?

Walking through the ruins, he picked out things that had been buried under the rubble. What caught his eye, however, wasn't even visible unless you knew what you were looking for. As he found a metal safe with Zack’s initials carved into the door still in tact, a lump formed in his throat. This was his safe, the one hidden in his closet.

He opened the lock to find pictures of Cloud, Zack, and himself. Some that just had the two of them, along with a rare picture that Tseng or Zack’s friend Kunsel took of all three of them. There was also Gil that would give him a good life for the next few years. In the very back and looking only a little beaten up was a small wooden box.

He carefully took out the box, opening the lid to hear a soft melody come from it. Tears slid down his cheeks as he listened to the familiar tune. They knew this was here and Cloud wouldn't have left it there for anyone to steal it -- it had belonged to the blond’s grandmother.

He clutched the box before hearing growls coming from nearby. He pocketed the box and the pictures before grabbing a sword that he'd found. It was one that was owned and used by all Third Class and, while breakable, would give him an edge.

He the next week taking out the monsters, finding shelter in an abandoned, broken down building. He cooked the meat he salvaged from the beasts that weren't poisonous or toxic for human consumption. He had seen a town on the edge of where Sector 5 had once stood, but he couldn't convince himself to go. What if this was all real and Cloud and Zack were both dead?

As he took out a Catoblepas that had obviously been brought in by Hojo before hearing the sound of footsteps. It wasn't until he heard the sound of glass shattering under a foot that he finally turned around.

Standing in front of him was a boy turned into a man. Spiky blond hair and muscles, Mako infused blue eyes that the blond had always wanted. What he had trained for and they were bright enough to show Sephiroth that he had made First Class like himself and Zack.

He could see the shock in the bright blue eyes, the tenseness in his shoulders. What surprised the silver haired man the most though was the sword in his hands. Angeal’s sword that he had given to Zack on his deathbed. Why did Cloud have it? Where was Zack?

These questions didn't stop the smile that he felt sliding across his face. This was Cloud, his Cloud, and he'd achieved his dream.

“Storm Cloud, I’m glad you’re okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an idea of where I want to go with this, but let me know if there's anything you want to see in this story.


	3. Chapter 2

_No_ , Cloud’s mind screamed as his grip tightened on his blade. No, this wasn't his Sephiroth. This was another of Jenova’s mind games. It couldn’t be his Sephiroth, couldn’t be the dorky man who wore the guise of the most powerful being in the world. The dorky man that Zack had forced him to meet and had found had many similarities with himself.

But the Sephiroth who was controlled by Jenova didn’t know his nickname. He didn’t ever smile that dorky smile that almost looked extremely awkward if it didn’t look so endearing. He didn’t fight with anything but Masamune. He didn’t avoid going into towns to destroy absolutely everything.

“Cloud?” The voice was uncertain, confused. Nothing like the Sephiroth he had killed on three different occasions.

“No,” Cloud whispered. “You’re not him. You killed him.”

“I don't… where's Zack? Why do you have his sword? What happened to Midgar?”

Cloud stared at him, his eyes narrowing. There wasn't that pull for reunion. There wasn't that tug from Jenova or the numb feeling when he was being controlled.

What if this was  _ his _ Sephiroth? What if this was the real Sephiroth and not Jenova controlling the body?

“What do you know of the black Materia?” Cloud demanded.

“Black Materia?” came the confused tone. “I don't… the last thing I remember was that we were going to Nibelhiem meet your mother and check on the reactor. Then I woke up about a week ago on the floor of the reactor and you and Zack were nowhere…”

Cloud stared at him, recognizing the lost tone he'd heard only a few times before. He wasn't sure what to think of this, whether it was a trick or not but seeing the dorky smile and the lost puppy dog look only made him trust the man more. And the fact that he didn't have Masamune was a plus, but then again, Jenova’s Sephiroth could make it appear from thin air.

As much as he wanted this to be his Sephiroth, this could all just be some trick. Maybe he was being controlled and Sephiroth was some kind of a trick. It had never occurred to him that Jenova and her version of Sephiroth knew who Zack was. It could be this version and Cloud couldn't take the chance that it was.

He gripped the sword tighter, swinging it towards Sephiroth, the man barely blocking with the standing issue sword. He saw the shock and confusion in the aquamarine eyes, causing him to pause before moving to attack again. This was all just some trick to get him to lower his guard.

“Cloud, w-what are you doing? Why are you attacking me?”

Cloud didn't say anything, just clenched his jaw tightly. He moved forward again when the sword in Sephiroth’s hand fell to the ground with a soft thud. His arms to his sides, not bothering to try and block the hit.

Cloud’s step faltered and he flinched, waiting for a surprise attack only to be surprised by no movement, not even a flinch.

“Why won't you fight back?”

“If this is for leaving you, it wasn't my fault, but I'm no better than Genesis and Angeal. I deserve to die as they have.

Cloud stared at him blankly. Something inside of him said that he should know exactly who Sephiroth was talking about. They were part of his and Zack’s pasts, but he couldn’t figure out who they were. 

“Y-you don't remember…”

“Don't act like you don't know.”

Cloud opened his mouth, when a familiar voice softly said, “Cloud.”

He didn’t move as he sensed Vincent moving swiftly to his side. He couldn’t tear his eyes from Sephiroth, the silver haired ex-General’s eyes narrowed at the intrusion. He had seen that look in those eyes when Zack had told them about Aerith. He had seen that look when one of the Second Class SOLDIERs flirted with Cloud.

That was a look of jealousy that the Sephiroth he had come to know since Cloud had joined AVALANCHE would never have.

“Vincent,” Cloud spoke, unable to keep a slight waver from his voice.

“He doesn’t have the taint. They don’t sense  _ her _ anywhere.”

“T-then he’s…”

“What is he talking about, Cloud?” Sephiroth questioned, his voice cold.

Cloud stared at Sephiroth as if he was seeing him for the first time. His breath caught in his throat and his heart stopped as he watched the silver hair shift in the slight breeze. This was his Sephiroth, the one that he and Zack both loved more than anything. The one whom he had lost all those years in Nibelhiem.

His vision began to become fuzzy before going black, the last thing he remembered was Sephiroth darting towards him as his sword fell out of his hand.

**

Sephiroth rushed forward as he saw the sword and body start to fall to the ground in front of him. He stared down at the unconscious blond, seeing the young boy who was so eager to get into SOLDIER with his lovers. His face when he was conscious had shown just how much he had seen and experienced, which was something Sephiroth had never wanted for him. He wanted to spare his youngest lover from the horrors of SOLDIER and of war.

“Sephiroth.” His grip on Cloud tightened as his cold gaze shot up to the unknown man. The man who had been friendly with Cloud. “Grab the sword as well. I’ll show you where you can wait for him to wake.”

Sephiroth picked up Angeal’s Buster Sword, following the man to a rundown church. He had been there once before, curious of where Zack was always disappearing to. He had seen Zack laughing so care-free and touching the girl. He had seen red, had almost killed her if Zack and Tseng hadn’t interfered and stopped him.

He walked over to the least broken pew and laid the man in his arms down before gently placing the sword on the ground next to him.

“Who are you?” Sephiroth coldly questioned.

“My name is Vincent Valentine,” came the calm answer. “I was your mother’s Turk bodyguard until Hojo shot me. Your mother saved my life, but I wasn’t able to save her.”

“My mother…”

“I’ll leave you and Cloud.”

With that, the man turned and left the church, closing the door behind him.

Sephiroth looked around for the first time, curiosity getting the best of him. The front half of the church looked as though someone had dug a hole and filled it with sparkling clear water. The flowers from before were still there, though they surrounded the pool of water. He sighed, walking over and kneeling next to it. He cupped his hands and took a drink, the water tasting like it did in Wutai, absolutely pure and void of Mako taint.

A glint of metal behind the altar got his attention, making him get up. He walked over to it to find a sword about the same size of the Buster Sword, but it looked different. Almost as if it was made up of different pieces of a puzzle that combined to make it.

“Ngh.”

Sephiroth looked over at Cloud to see him moving slightly. He walked back over, sitting far enough away as to not give Cloud reason to think he was the enemy. Especially with his reaction before.

“Cloud?” Sephiroth quietly asked.

Cloud tensed before muttering, “This is a nightmare. I hit my head and this is just a nightmare.”

Sephiroth didn’t respond to that, though his heart broke. Why would Cloud think his presence was a nightmare? Did Cloud hate him so much for not being there that he thought him returning was a nightmare? Or was there something that he couldn’t remember?

“Zack’s going to get worried if you’re out so late,” Sephiroth finally said, his voice soft.

There was a snort that came from Cloud’s direction. “Yeah, because he’s still around.”

So they had broken up? Just what had happened in those missing years?

“Why do you think my being here is a nightmare?” Curiosity got the best of him, though he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answers. “Am I really such a horrible person?”

“No,” came the answer. “Hojo was a horrible person. My  _ father _ was a horrible person. What happened with you was the result of Hojo’s disgusting experiments.”

That was the first time Cloud had ever mentioned his father. Before, he had admitted that he had known his father. Had that changed in those missing years? From the sound of it, he knew the man and he didn’t like him any more than Sephiroth liked Hojo.

“But Vincent was right. I can’t feel anything like before.”

“What do you mean you can’t feel anything like before? What did you feel?”

“You’re very talkative for being a dream.”

Sephiroth’s lips quirked. “Would you like me to leave then?"   


There was a pause before Cloud shook his head, his gaze not moving from the ceiling. Sephiroth silently sat down on the ground, one leg bent and the other stretched out in front of him.

“You mentioned your father. You never spoke about him before.”

Cloud sighed softly before saying, “Because I never knew. Not until the Geostigma. When I contracted it, we ran tests and those tests… my father was the one who approved that bastard to use Zack and I in his experiments. He tried to have us killed.”

Sephiroth could feel the blood draining from his face. The two men he would give his life for had been experimented on, had been targets.

“I don't even think he knew I existed. Or if he did, he threw me to the wolves without a care. Rufus was told that my mother and I were murdered. I guess the fat bastard got his just desserts in the end.”

“President Shinra,” Sephiroth breathed out. “How did he die?”

“Sword right through his stomach. He deserved it.”

Sephiroth frowned as he said, “You’ve given me a lot to think about, Cloud.” He watched Cloud yawn. “Get some sleep. I’ll protect you.”

Cloud nodded, mumbling, “I miss this. I wish we had never gone to Nibelhiem…”

He had obviously fallen asleep, leaving Sephiroth to wonder what Cloud had meant. Did something happen when they had gone there? Something to make Sephiroth lose all those years of memory and Cloud and Zack to break up?

"I'll never let you hurt again," he mumbled, settling in for a long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, this took so long. Work has been hell on Earth, but I'll be able to write more since after next Thursday, I have 11 days off work.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you guys think? Should I continue?


End file.
